Yarn winding machine



Patented Nov. 10, 1942 YARN WINDING MACHINE Warren A. Seem, Forty Fort, and Nicholas Stoddard, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Application April 6, 1939, Serial No. 266,347

10 Claims.

and operate because of its simplified construction and its proficient operation with a minimum of mechanical attention and labor.

In similar known machines, that is, machines intended to wind only headless yarn packages, each spindle unit must be precision built, and each spindle head constitutes a complete unit in itself in that it is provided with a traverse bar, cam assembly, differential tension and pressure levers, starting and stopping mechanism, gainer gear case and oil reservoir which of necessity, makes the machine expensive to build, maintain, and operate, whereas our machine does not require the same mechanical precision and has a single cam assembly to supply the traverse motion for as many spindles as desired on a given machine, and does not require the additional parts mentioned above and, therefore, is comparatively inexpensive to build, maintain, and operate.

An important feature of the invention is to provide a machine to wind tapered end headless yarn packages having a plurality of horizontally spaced spindles longitudinally arranged with an identical series of spindle units in combination at opposite sides of the machine.

A further feature of the machine is to provide a machine for winding tapered end headless yarn packages having means for controlling reciprocating progressive motion in a traverse rail mutually operated with an auxiliary cam whereby the shape of the package may be controlled.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a machine for winding tapered end headless yarn packages and having a traverse rail operated in a horizontal plane motivated by a single central cam assembly controlling both sides of the machine.

An important feature of the invention is to provide a yarn winding machine consisting of a main and auxiliary cam assembly which can readily be adapted to produce various lengths, shapes, or tapers of packages.

A further feature of the invention is to provide a yarn winding machine so constructed as to facilitate the checking and/or correction of improper twist on either or bothsides of any knots, and the prevention of improper twist adjacent to any knots, and the placing of said knots at the tapered delivery end of the package when winding.

In winding either straight or tapered end headless packages on ordinary machines, the intermittent tension on the yarn at the ends and center of the package gradually increase with the growth of the package, the average tension on the yarn being substantially greater and the intermittency more extreme on the outside of the package. It is therefore a purpose of the invention to provide a machine operating so that the intermittent tension on the yarn is less at the ends and center of the package and much more uniform throughout the entire winding of the package by reason of the mechanical means provided to traverse the yarn continually during the winding to both ends of the package where the extremes in tension are more frequently encountered, thereby making the average tension more constant.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a machine for so winding yarn packages that the lay of convolutions of the yarn remain in the same position in which they are wound. In known types of machines for winding headless packages, the yarn guide usually is in constant contact and pressure with the surface of the package, said contact and pressure against the package disturbing the lay of convolutions of yarn, resulting in distortedwind. According to the present invention, provision is made on the machine to substantially space the yarn guide from the surface of the package so that in the winding of packages, the yarn guide never comes into contact with the surface of the package, thus permitting the lay of convolutions to remain in the same position in which they are wound.

The invention is moreover characterized by the provision of a winding machine operable to wind a headless yarn package which will have a tapered nose of a slant not exceeding an angle of 22.5 degrees, and so constructed that alltying knots will be located at said tapered nose, thereby assuring the production of a package from which the yarn will unravel freely, without danger of sloughing since, in the unravelling of the, yarn from the package, the knots will be lifted directly off the nose of the latter without any possible dragging action.

A further important characteristic feature 01' the invention is to provide a headless yarn package winding machine constructed and operated in a novel manner to wind the yarn into a plurality of associated groups of layers, the layers in adjacent groups progressing in opposite directions whereby the layers of one group overlap the layers of the preceding group and prevent sloughing thereof.

Other important objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In order that the invention and its mode of operation may be readily understood by those skilled in the art we have, in the accompanying drawing and in the detailed description based thereupon, set out possible embodiments of the invention.

In this drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan of a portion of our improved yam package winding machine and illustrates one embodiment thereof.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same.

.mHaving more particular reference to the drawing, wherein like characters of reference will designate corresponding parts throughout, our improved winding machine may be stated to comprise a frame I6 consisting of relatively spaced vertical uprights I2 and lower and upper horizontal bars or rods I4 and I5 respectively extending throughout the entire length of the machine and rigidly interconnecting said uprights.

Rotatably mounted in suitable bearings I6 disposed in the upper portion of the frame uprights I2 at the normal front and rear of the machine are paralleling shafts I8 and 26 both having one of their extremities 22 extending beyond one end of the machine and carrying beveled gears 24 and 26. The beveled gears 24 and 26 are enmeshed with companion gears 28 and 36 respectively keyed, or otherwise affixed, to the ends of a power drive shaft 32 carrying a drive pulley 34 and rotatably supported in suitable brackets 36 attached to the adjacent frame upright I2.

One of the shafts I8 or 26 (preferably, as shown, the front shaft I8) extends beyond the opposite end of the machine and is provided with a gear 38 enmeshed with reduction gearing 46 having an enlongated gear 42 adapted for engagement with a pair of gears 44 and 46 respectively mounted for rotationin paralleling spaced relationship upon a shaft 46 fixed to the adjacent end frame upright I2.

The teeth of the elongated gear 42 of the reduction gearing 46 are so spaced as to enable it to engage and drive the companion gears 44 and 46 which differ in their number of teeth, the gear 44 having more teeth than the gear 46 so that said gear 44 will revolve slightly faster than, and gain upon, the remaining gear 46 for the purpose to be hereinafter specified.

The gear 44 is formed with a hub 56 to which is aflixed an auxiliary cam 52 having dual camming surfaces 52a and 52b relatively disposed for riding engagement with a finger 54 projected from, and carried by, the gear 46 so that with rotation of said cam 52 through actuation of the gear 44, the associated elements, that is, the gear 46 and the main cam 58 carried by hub 56 formed with said gear 46 are caused to reciprocate on ,the supporting shaft 48, as indicated by the arrow G and GI (Figure 2), the camming surface 52a causing the reciprocation in direction G, and the camming surface 52b causing the reciprocation in direction GI.

The hub 56 carrying a main cam 56, likewise has dual camming surfaces 58a and 58b adapted for engagement with a pin 66 arranged upon the intermediate portion of a vertically disposed lever 62 pivoted at its lower end, as at 64, to a bracket 66 attached to the adjacent frame upright I2. Thus it will be understood that the cam surfaces 58a and 68b of the main cam 56 act to impart a'rocking motion to the lever 62 :'n the directions also indicated by arrows G and GI, the camming surface 66a causing the rocking in direction G, and the camming surface 58b causing rocking in direction GI.

Proper engagement and relation between the lever 66 and the cam 56 connected to the gear 46, and between the finger 54 on said gear 46 and the cam 52 connected to the gear 44 are assured by means of a coil spring 66 attached to the lever 62 and to the supporting bracket 66 and normally acting to urge said lever 62 towards the machine, that is, in a direction indicated by the arrow H (Figure 2.)

The upper end of the lever 62 is provided with a pivotal coupling I6 adjustably connected by means of a link I2 to a traverse bar I4 carrying spaced thread guides I6 mounted to extend throughout the length of the machine and to slide longitudinally thereof on extensions 18 formed with a set of spindle supporting brackets 86 arranged in transversal spaced relationship on the machine frame.

A second traverse bar 14' carrying spaced thread guides I6 is mounted upon the normal rear end of the machine and supported for sliding movement upon extensions 18' of a second set of spindle supporting brackets 86' also arranged in transversal spaced relationship on the machine frame.

The traverse bars 14 and 14' are interconnected by means of a flexible cable 82 running on pulleys 64 disposed upon the machine frame I6 as indicated at 86. A spiral spring 68 mounted upon the opposite machine frame and, as represented at 96, is attached to the traverse bar 14' and acts to normally pull said traverse bar ,14' and, through the cable 82, the traverse bar 14 in the respective directions indicated by the arrows K and K (Figure 1).

As more clearly represented in Figure 1 of the drawing, the opposite sides of each of the brackets 86 and 86 are respectively provided 7 with a bearing 92 and pairs of recesses 94 and 96, the bearing 92 of one bracket facing the recesses 94 and 96 of the next or companion bracket.

As also represented in Figure 1, the bearing 92 and one recess 94 of said companion bracketare disposed in diametric alignment to support spindles Q66 in operative position, said spindles be-'- ing supported in longitudinal alignment on both sides of the machine.

The spindles I66, when supported in operative position, are so disposed that the heads I66 thereof contact with friction driven wheels I26 mounted upon the driven shafts I8 and 26, as represented in Figures 1 and 2. Suitable known yarn tensioning devices I22 mounted upon a rail I24 arranged on the machine frame are associated with the spindles I66 and with yarn supply holders I26 mounted upon a second rail I26 also arranged upon the machine frame.

In using our improved winding machine, yarn supply packages are placed upon the holders I26. The yarns are then passed into engagement with the tensioning devices I22 which have suitable cleaner blades mounted on the upper portion to remove any waste, slubs, and foreign matter affecting the diameter of the yarn being wound, and threaded into guides I6 and I6 on the traverse bars I4 and I4, the yarns having been en gaged with their'respective foundation cores F on the spindles I00.

With the yarns thus arranged, the machine is set in operation, whereupon the spindles I are rotated because of their engagement with the friction wheels I20 on the shafts I8 and 20 driven through the gears 2630 by means of the drive 34. Of course, as the spindles are rotated, the yarns are wound about the foundation cores F and, at the same time, are laid in successive layer wraps along the length of the latter due to the reciprocating motion of the yarn guides 16 and I6 on the traverse bars 14 and I4 interconnected by means of the flexible cable 82 and actuated by the driven shaft l8 through gears 38, 40, 42, and 46 and main cam 58, the latter translating the rotary motion of the shaft and gears into the reciprocation motion of the traverse bars.

During the rotation of said gears and main cam, the auxiliary cam 44 is rotated by means of the gear 46 also operated by the driven shaft l0 through gears 30, 40, and 42. By reason of the connection 54 between the gear 46 and auxiliary cam 52, the main cam 50 is caused to'slide on the stub-shaft 40, as hereinbefore stated, and thus control the position of the traverse bars in their reciprocating motion to impart a progressive ,movement towards one end of the foundation core F and towards the other end thereof.

The relation of the main cam 58 and auxiliary cam 52 is so calculated that the yarn will be wound in layers and groups of layers, to impart to the package a definite characteristic formation for instance, such as is shown, described, and claimed in our copending applications, Serial Number 266,346, filed April 6, 1939, and Serial Number 312,348, filed January 4, 1940.

In accordance with the invention, the laying of the yarn is controlled by the cams 52 and 58 so that the slant of the upper and lower end portions of the package will not exceed an angle of 22.5 degrees which, it has been found, assures the proper positioning of the yarn layers and also permits the formation of a' convenient effective surface at the nose of the package for the placement of all knots in tying the yarn ends.

The placement of the knots onto the tapered nose portion of the yarn package is feasible on our machine because, as will more readily appear from Figure 1, the yarn guides 16 and 16' are positioned at a distance from the spindle so that, in the event of a break in the continuity of the winding yarn, the ends may be easily tied on the delivery side of the guide and the knots laid on i the nose of the package regardlessof the location of said guide with respect to the length of said package. In such an event, the spindle mayv be rendered idle by displacing the same from its operative position and placing it in its inoperative position, that is, by lifting the spindle end I06 we have provided a winding machine of greatly simplified structure, capable of winding rawyarn into customer's headless packages in a cheap and economical manner; we have provided a machine which, by the mere interchanging of a few stand ardized parts, may be easily. readily, and quickly adapted for use in winding headless packages of various desired shapes or sizes; and we have provided a-machine which will produce a headless package of improved construction and distinctive wind which will positively prevent sloughing and assure the free unravelling of the yarn from the package in its subsequent uses.

In concluding, it is to be undertsood that the particular construction of the machine herein shown and described is capable of certain modl fications without departing from the gist of the invention. Accordingly, any modification coming within the scope of the subjoined claims is to be considered within the spirit of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A winding machine of the character described comprising two sets of driven spindles, one set being supported on the normal front of the machine and the other set being supported on the normal rear of the machine, said spindles being adapted to receive package cores for the normally urge the interconnected bar in one direction.

2. A winding machine of the character del scribed comprising two sets of driven spindles, one set being supported on the normal front of the machine and the other set being supported on the normal rear of the machine, said spindles being adapted to receive package cores for the winding of yarns thereon; a traverse bar for each set of spindles and having yarn guides thereon for guiding the winding yarns; means connected to one of said bars and operable to impart traverse movement thereto; a cable establishing a flexible connection between the mentioned bar and the remaining bar to transmit the movement of the former to the latter; and means operatively associated with said remaining bar and acting to normally urge the interconnected bar in one direction. 3. A winding machine of the character described comprising a power drive; a pair of paralleling shafts geared to said power drive to be driven thereby; a set of spindles mounted for association with each of said shafts, said spindles being adapted to receive package cores for the winding of yarns thereon; driving wheels carried by each shaft and engaged with the spindles of the set associated therewith; a traverse bar for each set of spindles and having yarn guides thereon for guiding the winding yarns; means driven by one of said shafts and connected to one of said bars to impart traverse movement thereto; means establishing a flexible connection between the mentioned bar and the remaining bar to transmit the movement of the former to the latter; and means operatively associated with said remaining bar and acting to normally urge the interconnected bar in one direction.

4. A winding machine of the character de scribed comprising a power drive; a pair of paralleling shafts geared to said power drive'to be driven thereby; a set of spindles mounted for association with each of said shafts, said spindles being adapted to receive package cores for the winding of yarns thereon; driving wheels carried by each shaft and engaged with the spindles of the set associated therewith; a traverse bar for each set of spindles and having yarn guides thereon for guiding the winding yarns; means driven by one of said shafts and connected to one of said bars to impart traverse movement thereto; a cable establishing a flexible connection between the mentioned bar and the remaining bar to transmit the movement of the former to the latter; and means operatively associated with said remaining bar and acting to normally urge the interconnected bar in one direction.

I 5. A winding machine of the character de- Iscribed comprising: two sets of driven'spindles, {one set being supported on the normal front of the machine and the other set being supported on the normal rear of the machine, said spindles being adapted to receive package cores for the winding of yarns thereon; a traverse mechanism including a traverse bar for each set of spindles, each traverse bar having yarn guides for guiding the winding of yarns; a cam assembly operatively associated with one of said traverse bars and consisting of a main cam and an auxiliary cam cofunctioning to impart movement to the associated traverse bar for the winding of yarns progressively towards one end of each core, then towards the other end thereof; means establishing a flexible connection between the mentioned bar and the remaining bar to transmit the movement of the former to the latter; and means operatively associated with said remaining bar and acting to normally urge the interconnected bar in one direction.

6. A winding machine of the character described comprising: two sets of driven spindles, one set being supported on the normal front of the machine and the other set being supported on the normal rear of the machine, said spindles being adapted to receive package cores for the winding of yarns thereon; a traverse mechanism including a traverse bar for each set of spindles, each traverse bar having yarn guides for guiding the winding of yarns; a cam assembly consisting of a main cam connected to and acting on one traverse bar to impart thereto its traversing movement, and an auxiliary cam acting on said main cam to vary the action of the latter to control said traverse bar for the winding of the yarn progressively towards one end of each core, then towards the other end thereof; means establishing a flexible connection between the mentioned barand the remaining bar to transmit the movement of the former to the latter; and means operativelyv associated with said remaining bar I paralleling shafts geared to said power drive to be driven thereby; a set of spindles mounted for association with each of said shafts, said spindles being adapted to receive package cores for the winding of yarns thereon; driving wheels carried by each shaft and engaged with the spindles of the set associated therewith for driving the same; a traverse bar for each set of spindles and having yarn guides thereon for guiding the winding yams; a cam assembly driven by one of said shafts and operatively associated with one of said bars, said cam assembly consisting of a main cam and an auxiliary cam cofunctioning to impart movement to the associated traverse bar for the winding of yarns progressively towards one end of each core, then towards the other end thereof; means establishing a flexible connection between the mentioned bar and the remaining bar to transmit the movement of the former to the latter; and means operatively associated with said remaining bar and acting to normally urge the interconnected bar in one direction.

8. A winding machine of the character described comprising: a power drive; a pair of paralleling shafts geared to said power drive to be driven thereby; a set of spindles mounted for association with each of said shafts, said spindles being adapted to receive package cores for the winding of yarns thereon; driving wheels carried by each shaft and engaged with the spindles of the set associated therewith for driving the same; a traverse bar for each set of spindles and having yam guides thereon for guiding the winding yarns; a cam assembly driven by one of said shafts and consisting of a main cam connected to and acting on one traverse bar to impart thereto its traversing movement, and an auxiliary cam acting on said main cam to vary the action of the latter to control said traverse bar for the winding of yarns progressively towards one end of each core, then towards the other end thereof; means establishing a flexible connection between the mentioned bar and the remaining bar to transmit the movement of the former to the latter; and means operatively associated with said remaining bar and acting to normally urge the interconnected bar in one direction. 7 9. In a winding machine of the character described, the combination with sets of winding spindles of a traverse mechanism comprising: interconnected traverse bars each associated with certain'of said spindles; traverse movement imparting means connected to one of the bars; and means operatively associated with the other of said bars and acting to normally urge the same in one direction.

10. In a winding machine having sets of spindles and interconnected traverse bar-s, one for each set of spindles: traverse movement imparting means connected to one of the bars; and means connected to the other of the bars and acting to normally urge the same in one direction.

WARREN A. SEEM. NICHOLAS STODDARD. 

